John Ogden

 John Ogden is an author and educator based in Sydney, Australia. Ogden’s career began as a photojournalist in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, freelancing for a variety of publications. In 1976 he commenced studying literature, anthropology and filmmaking at the Western Australian Institute of Technology, graduating in 1979. Over the next three decades he worked as a Director of Photography in multiple genres of filmmaking and is an accredited member of the ACS. After losing his right eye in a surfing accident in 1998, Ogden established Cyclops Press, an independent publishing company dedicated to showcasing the work of Australian authors. He is the author of ten books.

 TITLES BY JOHN OGDEN:

Australienation S1999)

Ogden’s first book features his own black and white humanist photography.

 Portraits from a Land Without People (2008)

acknowledged as a ground-breaking pictorial history of First Nation culture.

Saltwater People of the Broken Bays (2011)

Saltwater People of the Fatal Shore (2012)

These companion books celebrate the rich history of Sydney’s coastline and were awarded the biennial Frank Broeze Maritime History Prize in 2013.

Slightly Dangerous – The Cyclop’s Cypher (2013)

offers an insight into Ogden’s work and was the inspiration for the Shibboleth trilogy.

Woke – Volume One of the Shibboleth trilogy (2018) Ogden’s debut novel 

Will – Volume Two of the Shibboleth trilogy (2019)

Whitewash – The Lost Story of an African Australian (2020)

This work presents social history through biography. It is not just the story of one man, but an essay on race and identity, viewed through the lens of slavery and colonialism.

Waterproof – Australian Surf Photography Since 1858 (2021)

An anthology of Australians who have attempted to capture the grandeur of the surf zone. Runner-up, Frank Broeze Maritime History Prize in 2013

Stone Free – From Choir Boy to Ganja Kingpin (2025)

 A biography on the life of Warren “Abdul” Anderson.